Woman dies as grandson wins medal at Olympics

Celebrations for a Thai weightlifter were overshadowed after his grandmother collapsed and died minutes before he won the bronze medal in the 56kg category at the Rio Olympics.

A traditional mourning ritual was held yesterday at the home of Sinphet Kruithong, whose grandmother was among scores of family and friends watching his event live on a big television screen set up especially for the occasion in his village in north-eastern Thailand.

The festive atmosphere — villagers cheering and clapping as Sinphet heaved the weights up —turned sombre on Monday when people noticed that 82-year-old Subin Khongthap had collapsed.